Apparatuses for mounting fixtures to a substrate, and related methods

An apparatus comprising:

• a substrate;
• a rail mounted to the substrate;
• a first bracket mounted to the rail;
• a second bracket mounted to the substrate and spaced to define a gap between the first bracket and the second bracket;
• a panel retained by the first bracket and the second bracket in a position within the gap and over the substrate;
• in which the first bracket is mounted to the rail via interlocking mating parts on the first bracket and the rail, with the interlocking mating parts reversibly interlocking via a snap fit that permits the first bracket and the rail to be separated after installation without damaging the rail;
• in which the first bracket and the second bracket are configured to prevent the panel from being removed from the gap in an outward direction away from the substrate without first separating one or both the first bracket and the second bracket from the rail and the substrate, respectively;
• in which the interlocking mating parts comprise a beam and a channel forming a male profile and a female profile, respectively, with the rail forming a base plate that has a substrate contacting side and an exterior side, and with the beam and the channel formed on an exterior side of the rail and a base side of the first bracket, respectively;
• in which the beam extends from the exterior side of the base plate between opposed lateral edges of the base plate, with a pair of bracket contacting shoulders, of the exterior side of the base plate, being located on either lateral side of the beam;
• and
• the pair of bracket contacting shoulders each defining a fastener positioning guide channel, which is spaced from the base side of the first bracket and whose longitudinal axis runs parallel to a longitudinal rail axis.